MOVABLE STATIONERY
Volume 3 Number 4
June 1995
So What do They Package?
Robert Sabuda
'"What is a packager?" is one of the most frequently
asked questions I hear at children's book author/artist
conferences.
In standard juvenile publishing there is the author and
artist (unless they're one in the same) and the publishing
house. Pretty simple. But when a pop-up or other type of
novelty book is produced things get a little trickier. Most
publishing houses do not have the expertise (nor the
time) to design and execute a movable book from start to
finish. It's bad enough that they have to spend so much
time copy editing and color proofing their flat picture
books. But correcting die molds and overseeing
assembly, too? Forget it!
That's wheTe the packager comes in. Most packagers
are unaffiliated with the publishing houses. They bring
ideas and concepts to the houses and then guide the
project through its entire production until the books are
delivered to the publisher's doorstep. The publisher
writes out a check for the whole lot (the publisher is
obligated to buy every copy) and then treats the book as
one of their own, marketing and distributing it with the
rest of their juvenile titles.
"Does one get paid the same way from a packager?"
No, but this is not necessarily bad. When an
author/artist signs a~ contract for a flat picture book he or
she gets an advance plus a royalty (against the advance)
for a percentage of the retail price of the book. With a
packager the royalty is a percentage of the base price of
the book. The base price is the cost the packager sells the
book to the publisher for.
For example, if you are the author/artist of a picture
book that retails for $20.00 and receive 10% royalty, you
get $2 00 for every copy sold If you are the author/
illustrator (and maybe paper engineer) for a pop-up book
that retails for $20.00, you do not get $2.00. A $20.00
book has been marked up by the publisher 75% - 80%
from the base price, which in this case makes the base
price about $4.50. Your percentage comes from that
$4.50. If the royalty is 10% you get 45 cents for each
book.
"But that's hideous! You should get the $2.00"
Maybe. But you have to remember a couple of things:
One, the average first printing for a picture book is
10,000 to 20,000 copies. The average pop-up book has
a first printing of 40,000 to 80,000 (the packager will sell
foreign rights like mad, which the publisher may be more
cautious and wait to see how the book does). And, two, if
the picture book doesn't sell well you only get a
percentage of those books sold With pop-up titles the
publisher must buy all the books so your percentage is
guaranteed for every book. Which is very nice on payday!
"So which is better, a publisher or packager?"
If you don't have any background or experience in
novelty books but have a pop-up idea, you're better off
going to a packager. They can represent you and your
concept in the most enticing fashion for a publisher.
A publisher will most likely only work with someone
directly on a pop-up project who can execute all the
necessary die drawings, nesting sheet (a large sheet that
all the pop-up pieces will be cut from like a giant jigsaw-
puzzle) and answer any and all questions pertaining to the
assembly. A big job requirement for one person! But it
has the advantage of dealing directly with the publisher.
With a packager, the author/artist/engineer sometimes
falls out of the loop of communication since so many
people become involved with the project: the editor at the
packager, the art director at the packager, the paper
engineer at the packager, the production coordinator at
the packager, then the editor at the publisher, the art
director at the publisher and the marketing people at the
publisher! That's a lot of people putting in their two cents
worth on your project. And trust me, they do.
"A pop-up book sounds like so much work. Is it
worth it?"
Absolutely. There's nothing like ripping the shrink
wrap off your latest title (while the employees at the book
store scream that there's already a display copy open)
and watching your book come to life!
The Movable Book Society
Movable Stationery is the quarterly publication of The
Movable Book Society. Letters and articles from
members on relevant subjects are welcome. Advertising
is accepted free of charge from members and is included
when space permits. The annual membership fee for The
Society is $15.00. For more information contact Ann
Montanaro, The Movable Book Society, P.O. Box
1 1654, New Brunswick, New Jersey 09806.
Daytime telephone: 908-445-5896
Evening telephone: 908-247-6071
e-mail: montanaro@zodiac.rutgers.edu
Fax: 908-445-5888
The deadline for the nest issue is August 15.
"Poppin' up and "movin' on"
A dialogue with the bookbinder
Removing tape, part 3
Bill Streeter with Jill Deiss
This is the final installment in our series on removing
tape from book covers and pages - it describes treatments
that are potentially dangerous for both the book and the
bookbinder. We will discuss here the use of solvents
(other than water) that can be employed in lifting tape
from books.
Let us state here unequivocally that the techniques and
materials we discuss are those we use in our shops, and
we aren't specifically recommending them for yours - we
are merely reporting how we operate. Before we started
working with these techniques and materials, we each
studies under conservators professionally trained in
working with hazardous chemicals such as solvents. We
cannot overstate the importance of seeking professional
tutelage prior to undertaking the sort of work outlined in
this article. These solvents are potentially dangerous to
the materials being treated, and more importantly, SOME
PEOPLE HAVE SEVERE LIFE-THREATENING
REACTIONS TO CONTACT WITH SOLVENTS.
We recommend you obtain a copy of The artist 's
complete health and safety guide by Monona Rossol
GSBN 0-927629- 10-0) This book describes the proper
use and potential health risks of the materials used by
artists and craftspeople. In addition, publications called
"Chemical Safety Data Sheets" (each chemical has its
own Chemical Safety Data Sheet) are published by the
manufacturers of chemicals and give valuable
information for all the solvents mentioned in this column.
Request these data sheets from a chemical supplier (who
often can aid in the interpretation of these sheets - as can
chemists in industry, academia. or conservation
facilities).
When faced with a situation where all attempts to
remove tape with moisture or by mechanical means have
failed, it would appear that a solvent stronger than water
is necessary. Always remember when attempting such
treatments it is essential to test the stability of dyes and
inks that are under or in the vicinity of the tape that is to
be removed. This is done as described in earlier segments
of this series: place a dot of solvent (Vfe diameter or
smaller) on each variety of print or color that would come
in contact with solvent during the planned tape removal.
Roll the area with a cotton wand to see if the ink or dye is
not stable in the solvent, and that particular solvent
cannot be used In this case, try other solvents until one
is found that will remove tape and not disturb the ink or
dye around the tape. It is advisable to test and re-test
areas several times before actually declaring the solvent
safe for the inks and dyes in question. If at all possible it
is best to have a fume hood in which to do such work.
Fume hoods are available from scientific supply houses
or information useful for construction of a fume hood can
be found in the volume Ventilation by Nancy Clark
(Lyons and Burford, 1984). If a fume hood is not
available, a respirator affixed with organic solvent filter
cartridges should be worn while working with solvents.
Working outside can also help reduce your personal risk
but may jeopardize the security of the item undergoing
treatment. Always wear rubbeT gloves when working
with solvents as many solvents are harmful to your skin.
Also, some solvents can enter your system through your
skin as well as through your lungs. We find it beneficial
to use a medium-sized fan (blowing out from the tape
removal work) to draw fumes from the solvents away
from the work area. We most often use this in
conjunction with any work we do outside. In using a fan
for this purpose, be mindful of where the fumes are being
drawn to.
Our techniques for using solvents require introducing
the solvent underneath the plastic carrier of the tape to
get to the adhesive that is holding the plastic carrier to the
book or page. Using a dropper, a solvent can be worked
under tape at the site where it is attached or from the
backside, however, on the binding it is usually not
possible to work solvent under tape from the backside as
the cover is often too thick for the solvent to penetrate.
As the solvent is saturating the area with tape on it, try
lifting the edge of the tape with tweezers or a scalpel. If
the tape begins to lift continue to feed solvent (with the
dropper) under the tape and proceed to lift the tape away
from the book as the adhesive releases. After the plastic
carrier has been removed, it is usually necessary to clean
the area where the tape was adhered - often residual
adhesive is left behind and must be removed by working
solvent over the area and either gentry scraping the
remaining adhesive away with a scalpel or rolling it off
using a cotton swab. Continued on p«g* 5
Movable Reviews
Awful Weak
Robert Sabuda
Good Fabulous
All creatures great and small . Illustrated
i ** » by Don page. Engineering by Damian
Johnston. Random House. $4.50 US, $5.95
Canada. 0-679-87218-3. 3 1/4" x 3 1/4". 5 spreads,
accordion bound. 5 pops. Art: Humorous pen, ink
and watercolor. Plot: Brief religious theme featuring
animals. Greeting card flavor. Engineering: Very
Simple. Also: Now the day is over, 0-679-87217-5.
Babette Cole's cats. Engineering by Bruce
> 4 ^ Reifel. Warner Treasures. $4.95 US.
0-446-91067-8. 3 1/2" x 4 1/4". 5 spreads,
accordion bound. 5 pops. Art: Outrageous, wild
watercolor. Plot: Humorous, rhyming text about
adventures and misadventures of cats. Classic Cole.
Engineering: Simple. Also: Babette Cole's dogs,
0-446-91068-6; Babette Cole's fish, 0-446-91070-0;
Babette Cole's ponies, 0-446-91071-6.
Baby Clown. By Thierry Dedieu.
> Engineering by Jerome Bruandet. Hyperion.
$12.95 US, $16.95 Canada. 0-7868-0075-5.
8 1/4" x 8 1/4". 7 spreads, accordion bound. 6 tab
mechanisms ( 1 makes sawing noise), 1 revolving
wheel. Art: Bright, bold, heavily brushed oil or
acrylic. Plot: Baby Clown prepares and performs in
the circus. Wonderfully understated engineering
and beautiful artwork. Engineering: Simple.
The butterfly: A circular pop-up book.
By David Hawcock Illustrated by Bryan
Poole. Hyperion. $6.95 US.
0-7868-0098-4. 5" x 5". 1 large circular fold-out
(18" diameter) containing 6 pops. Art: Realistic
watercolor. Plot: Life cycle and migration of the
butterfly. Illustrations and pops are dull. Engineer-
ing is fragile. Circular fold-out merely falls out of
book unsupported. Engineering: Very simple.
Also: The frog, 0-7868-0099-22, The salmon,
0-7868-0100-x, The swallow, 0-7868-0101-8.
Dinosaur pop-up ABC By Arlene
1 3 t Maguire. Illustrated by Paul Mirocha.
Engineering by Dick Dudley. Little Simon.
$14.95 US, $19.95 Canada. 0-671-89076-x. 10" x
8". 7 spreads, signature sewn. Approx. 15 pops.
Art: Realistic watercolor and airbrush. Plot: A
dinosaur with a small amount of personal informa-
tion at each letter. Nice engineering, but standard
dinosaur fare. Engineering: Somewhat complex.
Help, mama, help!: A touch-and feel
pull-tab pop-up book. By Shen Roddie
Illustrated by Frances Cony. Engineering
by Shonagh Rae. Little Brown. $14.95 US.
0-316-75357-2. 9" x 9 1/2". 11 spreads, signature
sewn. 1 pop, 4 tab mechanisms plus various items to
touch and feel. Art: Humorous pen, ink and
watercolor. Plot: A baby chick camps out for the
first time and encounters animals and a scary
shadow. Cute and simple. Engineering: Simple.
The honeybee and the robber: A moving
pictures pop-up book. [Reissue from 1982]
By Eric Carle. Engineering by James
Roger Diaz, Tor Lokvig, and John Strejan.
Philomel. $17.95 US. 0-399-20767-8. 8 1/4" x 11
1/2". 8 spreads, accordion bound. 1 pop, 8 tab
mechanisms, 1 flap. Art: Paper collage. Plot: A
hungry bear tries to steal honey from some very wise
bees. Typically beautiful art by Carle, fun engineer
ing. Last spread's lengthy thesis on bees seems a bit
heavy handed. Engineering: Somewhat complex.
Joan Walsh Anglund's Mother Goose
pop-up. Engineering by Bruce Reifel.
Little Simon. $11.95 US, $15.50 Canada.
0-671-87079-3. 7 1/4" x 8 3/4". 6 spreads,
accordion bound. 5 pops, 4 tab mechanisms, 4 flaps.
Art: pen, ink and watercolor. Plot: retelling of 8
basic Mother Goose rhymes. Illustrations trite and
weary. Engineering: Simple.
Just you and me, grandpa: A pop-up story
about a special day. By Marcy Heller.
Illustrated by Joanna Yardley. Joshua
Morris. $9.95 US, $13.95 Canada. 0-89577-664-2.
7 1/2" x 6". 6 spreads, signature sewn. 4 pops
(2 threaded with black string for fishing line), 2 tab
mechanisms, 2 flaps. Art: Realistic pencil and
watercolor. Plot: A boy and his grandfather go on a
politically correct fishing trip. Pleasant and obvious.
Engineering: Somewhat complex.
Leonardo Da Vinci: A three-dimensional
study By Jerome R. Corsi. Engineering by
Paul Wilgress. Pomegranate Artbooks.
$19.95 US. 1-56640-988-8. 9 3/4" x 11 1/2".
6 spreads, accordion bound. 5 pops, 2 tab mech-
anisms. Art: Da Vinci reproductions. Plot: Studies
of Da Vinci's inventions and artwork. Well intended
but a bit underwhelming. Worth a look.
Engineering: Simple (spreads 2 and 6: Complex).
Maisy 's ABC. By Lucy Cousins.
' Candlewick Press. $12.95 US, $14.95
Canada. 1-56402-419-9. 7 1/2" x 7 1/2".
8 spreads, accordion bound. 9 tab mechanisms, 6
flaps. Art: Colorful, brushy tempra or acrylic. Plot:
The popular mouse returns in an ABC adventure
that features one (obvious) image per letter of the
alphabet. Light and fun. Engineering: Simple.
^A^. One to ten pop-up surprises! By Chuck
rtjLj* Murphy. Little Simon. $12.95 US, $17.50
■«3/*" Canada. 0-671-89908-2. 6 1/2" x 6 1/2".
10 pages, accordion bound 8 pops, 2 tab
mechanisms. Art: Realistic watercolor and airbrush.
Plot: Each page contains an image(s) behind a large
flap in the shape of a number. Nice artwork and no
two pops the same. Engineering. Complex.
Pink drink: A pop-up book of color
3^ rhymes. By S. Simeon. Illustrated by
Chris Reed. Little Simon. $8.95 US,
$11.50 Canada. 0-671-89833-7. 5 7/8" x 5 7/8".
5 spreads, accordion bound. 10 pops hidden behind
full page flaps. Art: Humorous pen, ink and water-
color. Plot: Rhyming words and colors. Quirky fun.
Engineering: Simple. Also: In and out and round-
about: A pop-up book of directions, 0671-89832-9.
The pop-up farm. By Rod Campbell.
Little Simon. $4.95 US, $6.50 Canada.
4"x4". 0-689-71834-9. 8 spreads,
accordion bound. 2 pops, 4 tab mechanisms, 1 flap.
Art: Pen, ink and watercolor. Plot: A small mouse
encounters many farm animals on it's way home.
For very young readers. Engineering: Very simple.
Robert Crowther's incredible animal
alphabet. Candlewick Press. $14.95 US,
$19.95 Canada. 9 1/4" x 9 1/4".
1-56402-427-x. 6 spreads, accordion bound. 18 pull
tabs (no mechanisms), 38 flaps. Art: Humorous pen,
ink and watercolor. Plot: Each page is covered with
the names of the animal in bold, black type on top of
white flaps. Underneath (or pulled out) is the
animal. Nice design. Engineering: Very simple.
Say no, little fish. By Carla Dijs. Little
Simon. $7.95 US, $10.50 Canada. 7 1/2"
x 7 3/4". 0-671-50742-7. 6 spreads,
accordion bound. 6 pops. Art: Bright, humorous
pen, ink and airbrush. Plot: Fish heeds it's mother's
warnings about strangers. Standard Dijs. Engineer-
ing: Very simple (except for one large octopus).
Also: Hurry home, hungry frog, 0-671-50707-9.
Snack Pack: A pop-up book in every box!
1 3 * Concept and stories by Edmon J. Rodman,
Illustrations by Ted and Linda Bick. Little,
Brown. $8.95 US, $11.95 Canada. 3 small boxes,
2 3/4" x 4", each containing one, 6 spread, accordion
bound book. 6 pops per book. Art: Flat, graphic,
bright colors outlined in black. Plot: Each book
deals with recognizing and counting a shape (circle,
triangle, square). For very young readers. Books
are somewhat fragile do to lack of hard cover.
Engineering: Simple.
There was a crooked man. Illustrations by
Kevin O'Malley. Little Simon. $9.95 US,
$13.00 Canada. 6 1/2" x 8 3/4" (crooked ).
0-671-89477-3. 6 spreads, accordion bound.
4 pops, 4 tab mechanisms. Art: Humorous pencil,
watercolor, pastel. Plot: Tradional rhyme of living
in a crooked world. Cute, but not much more.
Engineering: Simple
"What's new?" asked the Gnu By Arnold
Shapiro. Illustrated by Wendy Paris.
Engineering by Dick Dudley. Dial Books.
$12.95 US. 7 3/4" x 10". 0-8037-1627-3. 6 spreads
accordion bound. 10 pops, 5 tab mechanisms. Art:
humorous watercolor. Plot: Rhyming word play
from anthropomorphic animals. A few illustrations
seem garish. Engineering: Somewhat complex.
77je reviewer is a an award winning children's book
author/illustrator and Gold Medal recipient of the
1994 Dimension Illustration Awards for paper
engineering.
Catalogs Recently Received
Each of these catalogs includes
pop-up or movable books.
Al Dairy mple, Bookseller. Catalogue #17. 1791
Graefield, Birmingham, MI 48009. 810-649-2149.
Bibliomania. 1539 San Pablo Ave Oakland, CA
94612.510-835-5733.
Books of the Ages Catalogue No 6. Gary
Overmann, 4764 Silverwood Dr. Batabia, Ohio 45 103.
Jo Ann Reisler, Ltd. Catalogue 30. 360 Glyndon
St. NE. Vienna, Virginia 22180. 703-938-2967.
Mr. Books. Pop-up Book List #11. 9019 N. 51st
Ave. Glendale, Arizona 85302. 602-93 1-9035 or 800-
743-3252.
Robin Greer 29 Oxberrv Ave. London SW6 5SP.
0171-736-3707. Fax: 0171-731-8353.
Removing tape, continued from page 2
A technique useful in tape removal is called
"poulticing." For poulticing, dampen cotton with solvent
and lay it over the area you wish to saturate with solvent.
You can poultice either on the top or underside of the
tape. For the more volatile solvents it is useful to lay a
thin sheet of mylar over the saturated cotton (this keeps
the solvent from evaporating as quickly as it would if left
uncovered - if the solvent evaporates too fast, it doesn't
have time enough to work to loosen the tape's adhesive).
Always use a small amount of solvent - the smallest
amount that will do the job. An excess of solvent can
result in a stain, called a "tideline," that outlines the area
dampened by solvent. Using a minimal amount of solvent
will reduce - but not eliminate - the risk of creating a
tideline.
It sometimes works to stuff cotton dampened with
solvent into the bottom of a jar and turn the jar upside
down over the area that needs contact with a solvent -
sometimes fumes from a solvent are adequate for the
removal of tape. It may be necessary to push a piece of
flexible screen into the jar down over the cotton to keep
the cotton from falling out when the jar is inverted. This
technique requires much longer to be effective than
techniques involving direct contact of solvent with the
book, however, using the cotton in the bottom of a jar is
the most secure method for removing tape from the book
as the book in no way becomes dampened by a liquid,
and thus the risks to the book are minimized.
In our shops we try to avoid using solvents other than
water. If a book has tape that absolutely will not lift
mechanically or with water, we then must decide whether
to use solvents on the item. This decision comes after
consideration of factors such as the worth of the item vs
the extremely toxic nature of the solvents, and the client's
needs combined with our personal preference to avoid
contact with toxic solvents.
When it becomes necessary to use solvents in tape
removaL we start by using the least toxic solvents and
gradually moving up through the more toxic solvents.
The first solvents we would try for removing tape is
ethanol (ethyl alcohol). If ethanol does not prove
effective, we would next try amyl acetate. Amyl acetate
(N-Amyl alcohol) is a naturally occurring material (often
known as "banana oil" as it is one of the components of
the flavor in bananas and pears) and is a major solvent
used in industry. Amyl acetate almost always works in
removing medical and surgical tape and in lifting "duck"
tape More harmful to humans are solvents including
acetone, heptane, and toluene. Under no circumstances
should you use these solvents without proper ventilation
(as described in the previously-cited book Ventilation).
There are times, howeveT, when nothing but these
dangerous solvents will remove tape from a book. The
clear pressure sensitive tapes often will not lift with
ethanol or amyl acetate, whde one of these more toxic
solvents will likely do the work. Again, whenever we use
solvents in our shops we try the least harmful solvents
first (ethanol and amyl acetate), then we try heptane, and
then (in this order) we use acetone and toluene.
Solvents can be purchased through some bookbinding
suppliers as listed in the Guild of Bookworkers ' guide to
suppliers. Some hardware stores sell solvents. Solvents
come in technical grade and purified grade. Purified
grade is without impurities of any kind. Technical grade
contains a variety of impurities (usually inert). These
impurities are outlined in the chemicals Chemical
Technical Data Sheet The items you are treating are best
served if you use purified grade, however, if you are
knowledgeable about chemicals and their use, there may
be instances in which the less costly technical grade may
be substituted for the purified grade, however, if you are
in doubt, always use the purified solvent.
One last time let us say: you need at the very least a
solvents respirator, and we highly recommend that you
have a fume hood. Try not to use the more harmful
chemicals at all (acetone, heptane, toluene). Only use
these solvents if absolutely necessary. Please read all
about the potential hazards of these and all chemicals
before using them. We cannot overemphasize the care
with which you need to handle such materials. If at all
possible, remove tape using the techniques we have
described in part I and part II of this series. If you can see
you will need to use these solvents in your work, please
seek an internship or apprenticeship in the hope of a
conservator who regularly and properly uses these
materials and other solvents not included in this article.
Questions and Answers
Q. Is The Best of 3D Books available?
A. Kinokyniya Book Stores recently had copies for sale
for $75.00. The address is: 123 Astronaut Ellison S.
Onizuka St. Suite 205, Los Angeles, CA. 90012. 213-
687-4480 or Fax: 213-621-4456.
Ellen Rubin
A. In response to the question posed by Joanne Page
(Movable Stationery, vol. 3, no. 3.) requesting
information about The adventures ofSinbad the Sailor,
Bancroft & Co. Ltd, Westminster, London. 1960. Artia
Prague.
This title is the fourth - bearing the printing number
344 - from a series of four books designed and illustrated
by Jaroslav Beza and Frantisek Sklar and originally
published in Czech and German editions in 1959. The
first three titles are:
Aladdin and his magic lamp. No. 341.
Alibaba and the forty thieves. No. 342.
The fisherman and the demon. No. 343.
All other bibliographic dates are identical to the
Sinbad title. For Alibaba... and The fisherman... see
Montanaro p. 6 and p. 94. Maybe the Aladdin... is in
Montanaro, p. 5, but in that case the illustrations are
mistakenly credited to Kubasta; besides, there are in the
Aladdin from this series two pop-ups!
As far as I know, Kubasta only did one Aladdin title,
published just in Czech, measuring about 250 x 250 mm
and done in, for him, rare shadow-box technique.
Theo Gielen
New Publications
The following titles have been identified from pre-
publication publicity, publisher's catalogs, or adver-
tising. All titles include pop-ups unless otherwise
identified
Creepy crawly crunch cake. Mouse Works. August.
10 '/«x8 '/«. $8.98. 1-57082-280-8.
Mso.Dare you go into the jungle.0-307 -14552-2
Dare you go over the hill. 0-307-14553-7.
Dare you go under the sea. 0-307-14550-6.
Disney 's Winnie the pooh 's nightmare: A pop-up book.
Disney Press. August. 8 x 10. $12.95. 0-7868-3019-0.
Dogs: Our faithful friends. Andrews & McMeel. $4.95.
3x3 Vi. 16 pages. 0-8362-0046-2.
Food, glorious food. Andrews & McMeel. $4.95.
3x3 Vi. 16 pages. 0-8362-0048-9.
Gardens: Peaceful places. Andrews & McMeel. $4.95.
3x3 V 2 . 16 pages. 0-8362-0047-0.
Golf: Words from tiie green. Andrews & McMeel.
$4.95. 3 x 3 Vi. 16 pages. 0-8362-0051-9.
Sentiments of love. Andrews & McMeel. $4.95. 3 x 3 Vi.
16 pages. 0-8362-0052-7.
Women: A celebration. Andrews & McMeel. $4.95. 3 x
3 V 2 . 16 pages. 0-8362-0055-1.
Dare you go into the forest: A spooky cut-out pop-up
book Golden Books. 16 pages, [one pop-up] 7 V* x 7 Vi
$5.95.0-307-14551-4.
MOVABLE STATIONERY
The Movable Book Society
P.O. Box 11654
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08906
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